Dry Eye Treatment
and Management
in Murray, KY
The expert dry eye doctors at Jarvis Vision Center, Dr. Reed Jarvis, Dr. Jesse Williams, and Dr. Mary Jo Moore, combine advanced-technology eye exams with personal, one-on-one time with their patients to ensure that everyone who visits gets an accurate diagnosis and customized treatment plan for their unique case of dry eye.
What is Dry Eye?
Dry eye describes when your tears aren’t hydrating your eye enough, leaving you with irritated, gritty-feeling, red, and dry eyes. This is either because your eyes don’t produce enough tears or they’re producing poor-quality tears that evaporate too quickly and can’t keep the eye moisturized. This is why you can have watery eyes that are still dry and uncomfortable.
Types of Dry Eye
Tears are made up of three main components: water, oil, and mucus. No matter what the underlying cause of a specific case of dry eye is, it’s ultimately rooted in a deficiency of one or more of these components. “Evaporative” dry eye, for instance, is when a lack of oil makes your tears evaporate too quickly. Meanwhile, “aqueous” dry eye describes when you can’t produce enough tears because you lack the water necessary.
There are many, many reasons your tears may be insufficient. It’s our job to determine which type(s) of dry eye you’re dealing with, the underlying cause(s), and the best dry eye management plan for your unique case — and we’re proud to offer our expertise!
Causes & Risk Factors
Dry eye is usually caused by meibomian gland disease (MGD), where the oil-producing meibomian glands on your eyelids become clogged or infected. Unfortunately, potential causes can include many things that are out of your control. Dry eye disease is more common in post-menopausal women, or people who have certain health issues — but whether or not you fall into one of those categories, addressing risk factors you can control will help reduce the chance or impact of dry eye. These include:
- Taking certain medications
- Not getting the right nutrients in your diet
- Wearing standard contact lenses
- Not blinking enough while using screens
- Not treating certain eye diseases, eyelid conditions, or allergies
- Exposure to windy, dusty, smoky, or dry environments
Dry Eye Diagnosis and Treatment at Jarvis Vision Center
Each dry eye case is unique to the individual, depending on their deficiencies, underlying causes, and specific eyes. That’s where Jarvis Vision Center comes in! Our dry eye doctors and staff have plenty of experience creating custom treatment plans to ensure each patient gets the solutions they need to see clearly and comfortably again. To make sure we have a complete picture of your eye health, we use top-notch medical examination equipment to:
- Conduct tear film analysis and osmolarity testing to determine tear quality
- Complete lid analysis to understand eyelid health
- Anterior segment photography to carefully examine irregularities with the cornea
- Meibography imaging to explore meibomian gland health function
Once we properly understand your unique dry eye case, we can begin dry eye management with the following:
Eyelid Wipes and Cleansers
Eye Health Supplements
Dry eye can result from many deficiencies: water is the most obvious, but many patients lack crucial nutrients like vitamin A that sustain eye health and tear quality. By taking the eye health supplements advised by your eye doctor, you can get the precise nutrients your body has been lacking until now.
BlephEx® Eyelid Cleaning
Dry Eye Drops & Artificial Tears
There are a lot of dry eye drops and artificial tears on the market, and our eye doctors can help you choose the most effective option for your needs, such as FRESHKOTE® and OCULOCIN® PROPO, for both long-term treatment and short-term relief. If more advanced drop therapy is needed, our doctors will work with your pharmacy to prescribe medications such as RESTASIS®, Xiidra®, or CEQUA™.
Specialized Contacts
Amniotic Membranes
For severe dry eye, we may recommend amniotic membranes. These clear disks of tissue are placed over the eye like a lens to provide both healing and protective benefit before being absorbed by the cornea. This is a great way to restore the protective surface of the eye that may have been damaged by inadequate lubrication from tears.
PUNCTAL PLUGS
Punctal plugs are miniscule devices that are placed in the tear ducts, or “puncta,” to prevent tears from draining too quickly. This safe, non-invasive procedure can be completed in a matter of minutes and provides long-lasting relief for most patients, making it a valuable long-term treatment option.
IPL Treatment
One of the leading causes of dry eye is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), because when these eyelid glands stop producing oil for your tears, they evaporate too quickly. Intense pulsed light, or IPL, is an exciting technology that delivers thermal energy to these glands to restore their function – and help your tears last.
Treating Dry Eye in Murray, KY
If you suspect you have dry eye, or think you should be checked for it, please call Jarvis Vision Center at (270) 512-8388 or use schedule an appointment online, and we’ll be happy to help!
